What planets are visible tonight?

Which planets are visible depends on your date and location. Venus, Jupiter, Mars, and Saturn are the four naked-eye planets that are frequently visible; Mercury is visible only in brief windows near sunrise or sunset. Enter your city above and the report will list the planets currently above the horizon after dark.

Can I see the Northern Lights tonight?

Aurora visibility depends on the Kp index and your geomagnetic latitude. At Kp 3, aurora is typically visible only near the Arctic and Antarctic circles. At Kp 5 (a G1 storm), the auroral oval expands south into the northern U.S. and northern Europe. At Kp 7+ it can reach mid-latitudes. The report above compares your latitude to the current auroral boundary in real time.

Is there a meteor shower tonight?

There are around a dozen major meteor showers each year. The report above shows the next active shower and how many days until its peak. For best viewing, look after midnight from a dark location with the shower's radiant above the horizon.

When will the ISS pass over tonight?

The International Space Station passes overhead multiple times per day, but only some passes are visible (bright, after dusk or before dawn, and above the horizon). The report above shows the next visible pass time for your location, computed from live NORAD orbital elements.

What can I see in the sky tonight from Mbala, Northern Province, Zambia?

Tonight from Mbala, Northern Province, Zambia expect a new moon Moon at 0% illumination, with these naked-eye planets above the horizon after dark: Venus, Jupiter, Mercury, Saturn, Mars. The night offers about 9.8 hours of true astronomical darkness.

Does Mbala, Northern Province, Zambia's elevation help stargazing?

At 1622 m you are above a meaningful fraction of the atmosphere, which reduces extinction and scintillation — the reason major observatories are sited high.

What should I plan for observing near Mbala, Northern Province, Zambia?

High sites reward targets that suffer most from atmosphere: planets at high altitude, faint nebulae, and the Milky Way, which culminates around 69.8° here. Cold and thinner air are the practical constraints, not the sky.

How dark does it actually get in Mbala, Northern Province, Zambia tonight?

About 9.8 hours of astronomical darkness (Sun more than 18° below the horizon). That is the real observing window for faint objects; brighter targets are workable from dusk onward.

Live Sky Report

What Can I See in the Sky Tonight in Mbala, Northern Province, Zambia?

New Moon moon at 0%, Venus shines at magnitude -4.4. Calculated for -8.84°, 31.37° (Africa/Lusaka).

Moon

New Moon

0% lit

Sunset

5:53 PM

Dusk 7:05 PM

Dark hours

9.8 h

Dawn 4:53 AM

Aurora

Needs Kp 9+

Belt 58°

Visible planets tonight

Venus, Jupiter, Mercury, Saturn, Mars — brightest: Venus at mag -4.4 in Virgo

🔭 Tonight's Sky Report

📍 Mbala, Northern Province, Zambia — Thursday, August 13

⭐ Stargazing—

🌙 MoonNew Moon • 0% Illumination

🪐 Visible planetsMars, Saturn

🌠 Meteor activityDraconids in 57 days

🌌 Milky WayVisible after dark, low moonlight

🛰️ ISSLoading…

🌈 Aurora—

☁️ Cloud cover—

🌡️ Temperature—

Tonight's sky above Mbala, Northern Province, Zambia

Skywatchers in Mbala, Northern Province, Zambia have the same live tools professional observers use — a real ephemeris, live Kp readings from NOAA SWPC, and hourly cloud forecasts — condensed into one report on this page.

Above Mbala, Northern Province, Zambia tonight (-8.84°, 31.37°), expect a new moon moon at 0% illumination. The night gives 9.8 hours of true astronomical darkness. At 8.8°, aurora needs a strong storm — roughly Kp 9 or higher — to reach Mbala, Northern Province, Zambia.

Local sky character in Mbala

Tropical / equatorial latitudes · southern hemisphere · 1622 m elevation

The south celestial pole stands 8.8° above the horizon, so stars within 9° of it never set from here.
About 57.7% of the whole sky rises above the horizon at some point in the year from this latitude.
The Milky Way's core in Sagittarius culminates about 69.8° up, clearing the horizon haze comfortably.
The Large Magellanic Cloud only reaches about 29.1° altitude, so it is a low, seasonal target rather than a year-round one.
At 1622 m elevation, roughly 17% of the atmosphere's mass is already below you, which measurably reduces extinction near the horizon.

Pole altitude

8.8°

Sky reachable

57.7%

Milky Way core

69.8° max

Aurora australis

Kp 9+

Mbala is small enough that local light domes are limited — on a clear, moonless night the Milky Way is realistically within reach.

Best nights this month in Mbala

Calculated for these coordinates and today's date — not a fixed list.

2026-08-13 — Darkest night of the coming month
The Moon is only 0% illuminated, giving the least lunar interference in the next 30 nights — the best window for the Milky Way and faint deep-sky targets from Mbala, Northern Province, Zambia.
2026-08-27 — Full Moon
A 99%-lit Moon washes out faint objects, but lunar terrain along the limb is at its most striking — plan bright targets and planets instead of deep sky.

Mbala, Northern Province, Zambia stargazing questions

What can I see in the sky tonight from Mbala, Northern Province, Zambia?: Tonight from Mbala, Northern Province, Zambia expect a new moon Moon at 0% illumination, with these naked-eye planets above the horizon after dark: Venus, Jupiter, Mercury, Saturn, Mars. The night offers about 9.8 hours of true astronomical darkness.
Does Mbala, Northern Province, Zambia's elevation help stargazing?: At 1622 m you are above a meaningful fraction of the atmosphere, which reduces extinction and scintillation — the reason major observatories are sited high.
What should I plan for observing near Mbala, Northern Province, Zambia?: High sites reward targets that suffer most from atmosphere: planets at high altitude, faint nebulae, and the Milky Way, which culminates around 69.8° here. Cold and thinner air are the practical constraints, not the sky.
How dark does it actually get in Mbala, Northern Province, Zambia tonight?: About 9.8 hours of astronomical darkness (Sun more than 18° below the horizon). That is the real observing window for faint objects; brighter targets are workable from dusk onward.

Nearby cities

Real great-circle distance from Mbala, Northern Province, Zambia.

More in Northern Province

Other sky reports in the same region.

Sky tonight across Zambia

Other cities in Zambia with live sky reports.

Popular astronomy destinations

Aurora hubs, dark-sky sites, and observatory towns.